COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (April 10, 2014) – The U.S. boys’ beach volleyball team of Louis Richard and Torey (T.J.) DeFalco will make a second attempt to qualify for the 2014 Youth Olympic Games this weekend in Carolina, Puerto Rico.

Louis Richard dives for the ball as T.J. DeFalco watches.

The United States already qualified a girls’ team for the 2014 Youth Olympic Games when Suzanne (Zana) Muno and Sarah Sponcil won the NORCECA Central Zone Qualification Tournament in Puerto Rico last December. Richard (Redondo Beach, Calif.) and DeFalco (Huntington Beach, Calif.) lost in the boys’ final to Canada’s Jake MacNeil and Andrew Richards, 17-21, 26-24, 15-12, at that tournament and just missed qualifying.

Twelve pairs per gender will compete in the preliminary pool play on Saturday in Carolina with the top two from the four groups advancing to the single elimination draw on Sunday. The teams reaching the semifinals secure tickets to the Youth Olympic Games on Aug. 14-28 in Nanjing, China.